Bill of Rights Day: Brush Up on Your Freedoms

Does freedom of speech protect the right to wear protest armbands at school? Do school administrators need a warrant to search a student suspected of wrongdoing?

December 15 is Bill of Rights Day, celebrating the day that the Constitution’s first 10 Amendments were ratified in 1791. The Educational Resources section of uscourts.gov gives students and others a refresher on our Constitutional freedoms today, focusing on landmark federal court cases.

The Bill of Rights’ impact on young people is the focus of courtroom-ready and classroom-ready activities that lay out what is and is not permitted under the:

• First Amendment (freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition);
• Fourth Amendment (freedom from unreasonable search and seizure);
• Fifth Amendment (guarantee of due process of law); and
• Sixth Amendment (right to counsel and a fair trial).

In a 2½-minute video, high school students relate specific Amendments and rights to their experiences and beliefs. Material on the Miranda v. Arizona case, which expanded rights under the Fifth Amendment, will be the theme of 2016 Law Day, “Miranda: Not Just Words.”

In observance of the 30th anniversary this year of New Jersey v. TLO, an enrichment activity brings the Fourth Amendment into the school environment.

For additional resources on Bill of Rights Day, see this Federal Judges Association page, and the Civics Renewal Network.